Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1887-09-16
Daily gress aai 9akotaiaa
THE OLDEST G. A. R. POST,
DISPUTE M THE ENcAMPmENT
BRINGS FORTS FACTS.

General John A. Logan First Talked
About the Famous order---Then Doc
tor Stephenson Took 1t in Hand--He
He Settled in Springfield, III, In 1885
-wiaconsin and %Iliinots take. Claims,
~eiHlrAGo, Sept. ID, The dispute in the
national encampment of the Grand Army
81 Che Republic at st. Louis caused by
the question OF precedence as the oldest
organization, Wisconsin claiming the
honor which Illinois has up to date held,
make the following bit of history in
teresting.
When the foundation OF the Grand
Array wal first laid liz difficult to answer.
Gen. John As Logan first talked about 1t
In his headquarters tent during the re-
:belion. In conversation with DIR. b. +.
Stephenson Gen. Logan said that there
should be an order formed with its prin-
ciples SO broad that all who had taken
part in the war, from the highest officer
to the humhlest private, could join 1T.
DR. Stevenson then made his first notes
In regard to forming the G. A. r.. He
settled In Springfield, Ill, after the
One Sunday In February, 1865, DIR. Ste-
phenson met Fred !. Dean. a journalist,
and invited him to his office, where were
the DOCTORS partners in business, Drs.
Allen and Hamilton, who had both been
IN the service, and here were formulated
the fret constitution and by laws of the
Grand Army OF the Republic, by which
name the organization Was christened by
It's author. DIR. Stephenson thea confer
red upon Drs. Allen and Hamilton and
Comrade Dean the first obligation ever
taken by human beings In the Grand
Army. DIR. Allen then conferred the OBJ
legation upon Or. Stephenson. The lat
Tor took command, and illinois has the
honor thar ,cannot BIZ taken from her OF
organizing the national order and the Arat
department. Headquarters were opened
over Ridgelyas bank in Springfield and
mastering officers were sent out into
other states as well. OF the four orig
inal members Dean alone Is alive.
There were enough old soldiers In
Springfield to organize a post, but the
diffitnlty in securing q suitable hall de-
layed matters somewhat. in. the mean
time some comrades am down from
Decatur and upon being induced to take
the oath of membership in the new or
ganization became so enthusiastic thai
They requested that the first post be or.
ganized in their city. The request was
b. r. Stephenson, Gen. Jules O.. Weber,
and others went to Decatur and organ
lied the FIRST post. The week following
Stephenson Post, No. 2, was formed al
Springfield April IL, 1886. The charters
were signed b. Il. Stephenson, com
mander-in- Chief; II. NJ. Woods, Adjutant
General Dean who was adjutant three
fern,si took great pains to have the first
records of the post and organization cor,
rect. ard 1T u wall he did ,r=ssya=nuw
Wisconsin and Indiana are trying to
claim theshonor due Illinois.
Commander Stephenson issued q cali
for a convention OF the posts to meet IN
Springfield, July IL, 1856, and there the
first department encampment of the
posts ever called was held, and Gen.
John NJ. Palmer, was elected Department
Commander, G. L. Nevins Post, No. /,
at that time No. l24, has on its charter
the name of John M. Palmer, Depart
ment Commander, and 1T is the only pest
in the department Of Illinois acting under
its original charter, all the others having
died out, leaving Nevius Post the cldesl
continuous in the organization. Posi-
No. ] Is still on deck, and proposes tt
uphold its riRhtssas to seniority both ol
Its post and the department of Illinois.
When the original Stephenson Pos,
died ont the post records were packediu
a box and stored away for years-no one
knew where. in 1885, in a garnet over 6
STORE In Springfield, the box of records
was found containing the original papers
written by Adjutant General and Pos,
adjutant Sired Deem. and these must BIZ
set to rest the claims Az to who originated
the order. Stephenson Post No. 30 Ia nov
in possession OF the papers,
Wisconsin claims the honor of beinl
the senior department, Notwithstanding
that Illinois Is the birthplace OF the ordel
in the following manner After the wa,
a great. many counties formed soldier so
cidties. Upon hearing of the forming d
a post OF the G, a. r., at Decatur, III.
some twenty OF them gots~ together ant
formed a department OF the G. A. r.. an
elected ]. X. Proudit commander Jun,
Z, 1885. This Is their claim. They also
claim thatstsie second post in the coun.
try, Cassis,s Fairchild Post, No. 4, al
Madison, June 10. 1895. Az there wal
not one among them at the time who had
taken the obligation of the GA. r., ant
a. unct tiau Y Scuu w Tie phIeub Uouy u
obtain the rituals. it seems unlikely tina,
Wisconsin had priority over Illinois. g
u Neyius Post No. l, has the documents
to prove that.it Is the oldest continuou,
post In the United Staten. S.
The above facts, showing the justice o.
Illinois claim, are furnished by Harr,
M. Planter of Nevius Post. and are cor
roborased by Secretary Fred i. Dean, the
original adjutant general.